Community Engagement
We are dedicated to having a positive impact within our manufacturing and innovation center communities across the globe.
Education for Improved Recycling Impact
We are passionate about the positives of plastic in our daily lives and its potential as an innovative path toward a net zero economy. Achieving a more sustainable future means we first must offer education in our communities about how to give plastic, made from precious natural resources, multiple lives. This first starts from within our own employee base and operations teams across over 250+ global sites and then moves beyond the Berry team and into our local communities.
Our Plastics Ambassador Program and Network was built to equip employees, customers, vendors, and communities to appreciate the positive value of plastics, while educating on optimal disposal and landfill waste avoidance actions. Through Plastics Ambassadors, we have shined a light on the benefits of plastics, particularly versus alternative substrates, and its potential in a circular economy.
We believe in the power of early education to create a more circular economy. Many sites around the world offer local educational programs for primary and middle school year students. Please browse our sustainability education page for educational resources in your community.
Charitable Contributions
Every day we work to deliver innovative solutions to our customers around the world, with the goal of growing our business in a way that is responsible for our people, society, and the environment. We proudly support nonprofit organizations who help create or support community resilience and growth.
Learn MoreHumanitarian Relief Initiatives
Whether a natural disaster, global pandemic, or some of the toughest economic times, we join as OneBerry to provide support where we can help the most – through our time, resources, or knowledge and expertise. We are committed to relief efforts that create positive change.
Learn MoreFacility Spotlight
Rushden, Northamptonshire, UK
To raise community awareness of plastic pollution, while highlighting the value of recycled plastic, our Plaswood brand launched a recycled plastic boat. Plaswood is headquartered in Rushden, Northamptonshire.
Nanhai, China
Employees from our Nanhai, China facility, along with their family members, gathered at the Nanhai Welfare Center in China to educate community members on sustainability and Berry’s Impact 2025 initiatives.
Erie, Pennsylvania
By joining together in events such as working in community gardens, filling backpacks with school supplies, and supporting United Way initiatives our Erie team members are not only making a difference in their immediate neighborhood, but also in the greater City of Erie.
Volunteering
Annual Global Clean-Up Challenge
Each year all Berry team members are encouraged to participate in global clean-up initiatives to clear litter from local communities around the world. As a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, global efforts to keep waste from nature and plastic out of the landfill are necessary steps to give our natural resources multiple lives. This annual, global, clean-up effort is a challenge our teams enjoy taking on as global citizens and champions of a circular economy. In 2021, our teams tracked their progress through the Litterati app, where they recorded over 1 million pieces of litter cleared. We encourage you to join our team each year and help make an impact in your region as well.
An Intentional Culture
Our culture of community volunteerism is intentional. We know that strong partnerships both within Berry and with community organizations foster mutual dedication and resilience. We further understand that through volunteer programs our team members have the opportunity to build skills, develop and strengthen connections with other team members, and feel an enhanced sense of pride in working for Berry.
For these reasons and so many more, our leaders across the globe are dedicated to personally volunteering, creating volunteer team building events, and sponsoring division-wide efforts. Berry leaders and team members serve as mentors and coaches... they are nonprofit board members and first responders … they serve food to the homeless, help rebuild communities after disasters, and teach others about the importance of plastics and sustainability.
Alignment with our Employee Resource Groups
A key pillar within our Diversity and Inclusion strategy is to encourage our facilities and team members to partner with charitable organizations and assist them in advancing their missions.
Our Teams in EMEIA accepted this challenge by donating more than 65,000 packages of feminine hygiene pads. Through leading with a purpose and coordinated regional efforts, the Teams touched multiple charitable organizations and helped in the fight against period poverty. With sanitary product often being in limited supply to those with a lower income, these donations helped meet a crucial need.
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Workforce
Knowing that students of today are the workforce of tomorrow, Berry is committed to fostering growth and generating excitement for manufacturing. For several years, our Evansville, Indiana, manufacturing facility and our Blue Clover Design Studio, have joined with Helfrich Park School for a mentoring partnership, known as the STEM Partnership Project.
Students are paired with Berry mentors and spend five months developing a project to present to members of Berry’s leadership team. The project challenge calls for students to research, identify, develop, and prototype a product that enhances a user’s experience while utilizing current manufacturing technologies. Students have the opportunity to develop inventions for a variety of markets ranging from the sports to the medical field.
“This partnership is a great hands-on learning experience for the students participating in this program. It gives them a real-world opportunity to understand manufacturing in a professional business setting,” said Mary Reese, Human Resources Director at Berry.